Soundmatters’ foxL v2 Bluetooth speaker system was developed by Dr. Godehard Guenther, a former NASA engineer and its pedigree shows with impressive specs, high quality sound and solid build. At $199 for a handheld wireless speaker system, it’s not the on the low end of the price spectrum, but it’s definitely up there when it comes to performance — especially its bass output. I put one of these little Bluetooth marvels through its paces, but with a twist. Soundmatters offers a bicycle mount designed specifically for the foxL v2 and my brother Rick is both a road warrior who commutes to work on his bike (even in the Canadian winter) and a music nut. Once I’d had the opportunity to scope out its basic capabilities, I passed it on to Rick for some on-road testing.

Sound:
Soundmatters bills the foxL v2 as: “The world’s best sounding pocket-sized stereo speaker.” That’s a pretty big claim. Having an audiophile “rocket scientist” design the system brings it within the realm of possibility, but verifying boasts like this is what reviewing is all about. The foxL v2 packs a pair of digitally powered 1-inch “twoofers” and makes double use of its battery, which also serves as an acoustic suspension bass driver. This unique setup is responsible for some of the most incredible bass performance I’ve heard out of a device this size, thumping enough that Soundmatters provides a rubber cushion to keep the unit from jumping across smooth surfaces. Trust me, it needs it.

I have a pretty decent (if dated — it needs a cable to connect to an iPhone) portable unit I use as a reference unit, a JBL On Tour system with a pair of 1-inch Neodymium drivers powered by a Class-D digital amp. It may be old-school when it comes to connectivity, but for ultra-portable sound, it’s still tough to beat. The significantly smaller foxL v2 could keep up with the JBL when it came to volume, although the bigger system had more stereo separation and handled the high notes a little more cleanly. When it came to bass, there was no contest. The foxL v2 kicks it, making the JBL sound positively tinny in comparison. In fact it became a game to throw the most bass-heavy songs possible at the speaker (even pulling out the big guns like Spinal Tap’s “Big Bottom”) to see if it would choke, but it was rock solid and always booming. If you like bass heavy music, this is the portable speaker system for you.

Rick reported the speaker occasionally muting when at high volume, something he suspected was a volume limiter kicking in. I never experienced this myself. Apparently it was always Blues Traveler-related, so maybe something to consider if you like listening to “Run-Around” cranked up.

Battery Life:
This is an important one for a portable speaker system. While you can always plug it in, that defeats the whole wireless concept. Soundmatters claims up to 5 hours of battery life, but the company notes in in FAQs that it has raised that spec to 12 hours at normal volume. The “normal volume” designation — as always — is subject to interpretation and your version can cause a huge variation in battery life. Some reviewers are seeing an impressive 8-12 hours. I managed the 8 hour range several times with the speaker playing in the background (i.e., not in a party setting). Rick, who was likely cranking the volume to compensate for being outdoors in traffic, reports an average of just 3 to 3.5 hours per charge.

The foxL v2 as a bike-mounted sound system, ready to hit the snowy roads. Photo by Rick Moon

The Bike Mount:
Rick found the quick release handlebar mount ($29.95 at the Soundmatters accessory store) easy to install and notes that it is sturdy, well made and holds the speaker firmly — no danger of it falling out on the road. The only peeve he had with it was an articulating connector, which he felt wasn’t necessary, especially since this added an inch to the overall height of the unit which really raised it above the handlebars.

On the Road:
I’ve already covered off a basic audio overview of the foxL v2, but Rick put it through its paces as a mobile sound system, powering the tunes on his bike. He reports that on trails and bike paths, the speaker system was capable (although the sound was a little “washed away” outdoors); when competing against an idling car at a stop light, though, it was game over. Even with its volume cranked, the foxL v2 couldn’t compete. He also had some trouble with the volume controls while riding (they’re on the back of the unit and the bike mount can make accessing them tricky).

Overall, though, he was impressed with its performance as a bike-mounted stereo system:

“The sound really is remarkable for the size of the speaker and I’ve had so many people comment on the fact that I have a ‘sound system’ on my bike, and they can’t believe how ‘big’ it actually sounds. I could definitely get used to having this little gem on board…”

It’s important to note that the foxL v2 is not weatherproof, so if you’re riding in the rain (or snow), you need to stash it somewhere safe. Fortunately, it’s small enough to make that easy enough.

Hoping to make use of the quieter Easter period for a holiday, I’ve ended up creating something of a monster. What started as a family trip to New Zealand has sprawled somewhat into a chance to test travel, gadgets and games on the road.

To keep us on the straight and narrow we’ve been set-up with some great navigational advice in the form of the CoPilot Live app on our iPhone. This has enabled us to setup the entire trip before we go which should save some headaches on the road. I’ve also setup our 3DS’s and 3DS XL’s with a bunch of eShop games to help entertain the kids on the flight and our 10 hour KiwiRail journey from Auckland to Wellington.

Finally, we’ll be testing out Skycouch economy seat for Air New Zealand. This novel seat design promises to help families get more rest by converting into something of a bed platform. With three children under 10 for the 24 hour journey I’m sure we’ll appreciate all the help we can get.

I’ll be reporting back with how it’s all going in due course, in the meantime you can watch our first Geek New Zealand installment to get you in the Antipodean mood.

To date Cartoon Network’s smash animated series Adventure Time has seen a trio of dedicated iOS video game releases. While the first was an engaging (but sadly too short) point-and-click-style adventure, the latter pair have instead elected to put that Adventure Time spin on the now iconic endless runner genre. It was with these rather narrow preconceptions that I dove into the upcoming fourth iOS title Rock Bandits, only to discover that it was a horse of an entirely different color. #ladyrainicornpun

A piece by Nick Tragianas in Canada’s National Post last week caught my eye and I suspect it’s something that many of our readers would find quite interesting. It’s about the BatBerry project, one Batman fan’s obsessive attempt to recreate a working version of the iconic Batmobile (in this case, the Anton Furst, Art-Deco inspired version from Tim Burton’s Batman). What makes the story even more interesting than Tim Neil’s obsessive attention to detail, is the fact that — true Canadian patriot and Blackberry employee that he is — he’s controlling the car’s auxiliary systems using a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and BlackBerry smartphone. Given the fact that BB10 incorporates a great deal of DNA from QNX (which, before being snapped up by BlackBerry was known for building the operating system that powers many automobile infotainment systems), this move may not be as great as stretch as it might sound.

BlackBerry itself isn’t officially involved in this project, but one has to think that if Tim Neil’s replica Batmobile ends up being half as cool as it’s looking right now, a franchise tie-in has got to be a better promotional gimmick than a Creative Director who tweets from an iPhone.

I love listening to my music collection, and I have a good portion of it stored on my iPhone so I can listen to it at any time with a set of headphones. I only carry a few playlists at any given time, but I do have Apple’s iTunes Match service which allows me to stream music from the cloud. I don’t have an external speaker dock for my iPhone or iPad, so when I listen to music at home I usually pipe it through my television sound system using the Apple TV. This works great, but it’s not always ideal. Sometimes I just want a hint of music in the background as I’m working… and at other times I’d like to listen to my music while I sit on the deck and work. I can certainly play music through the iPhone or iPad’s own speaker but, well… sound quality is lacking, as you can imagine.

While there are a number of speaker docks available for the iPhone and iPad, I’ve yet to invest in one. And I’m actually quite glad I waited, otherwise I wouldn’t have discovered the Berlin Boombox. What began as a Kickstarter project is now a full-fledged product available to everyone, not just backers. The Berlin Boombox may be made of thick cardboard, but it’s got that cool retro-80s style and is sure to grab some looks. It’s got a built-in amplifier and two speakers for true stereo sound, and I have to say: the sound quality is decent. I don’t know if the cardboard shell has anything to do with that, but there’s a warm sound coming from the two speakers that is perfectly fine for my listening needs. There’s also a volume control knob on top that also serves as the On/Off switch and a battery holder in the rear for 3 AA batteries.

The kit came unassembled and boxed flat, wrapped inside bubble-wrap and then shipped in a padded shipping bag. Everything was protected just fine, and there were no damaged corners on the primary box holding the Boombox.

I actually had to promise myself to go slow and read all the directions carefully — I didn’t want to rip any parts or tear off anything important from a hasty assembly. All in all, it took me about 15 minutes to assemble. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love things that require assembly before you can actually use them, and the Berlin Boombox was fun to put together — and it’s fun to use.

After opening the box, I was greeted with a two-page instruction spread: German and English instructions are provided, with a three-color 2D diagram of the folded Boombox body for Step 1. The entire instruction sheet leads you through the 25 steps required to build it and connect your device.

First, you’ll install the two speakers. The instructions warn you to look for the two different lengths of wire that will distinguish which speaker goes where, and from there it only gets easier. The small amplifier has four places to plug in wires (two speakers, one for the iPhone connector, and one for the battery pack) and each is clearly distinguished in the instructions — you’d have to intentionally plug a wire into the wrong place.

The cardboard is heavy, thick stuff. My concerns about ripping or tearing something disappeared as soon as I began to fold various sections of the Boombox. There are only about four holes cut into the cardboard for running wires here and there, and again, you’d really have to try hard to mess it up. The instructions show clearly which wires run through which holes. And, honestly, even if you mess up, you’ll figure out your mistake quickly when you start folding up the box to complete it — most wires are only long enough to work one way. There’s a resistance to bend because of the heaviness of the cardboard, so when you tuck in the six tabs to hold everything together, they stay put.

There are three locations for running the connector wire: one for the iPhone 5, one for previous versions of the iPhone, and one for iPods (or MP3 players). The slot in the center of the Boombox is tight, holding my iPhone snug. And the handle on top provides a perfect way to tote it around.

It’s definitely drawn a few looks! I had it in the garage with me this last weekend while the kids and neighbors were visiting in the cul-de-sac. A few of them loved the design — and a few raised their eyebrows and shook their heads at me. I get that a lot. That said, it’s just a fun little project that you can put together yourself to create a portable little music dock for your iPhone or iPod. At full volume, it does put out a good solid sound that can be heard at a distance, but I’m sure the 3 AAA batteries won’t last long at that setting. (I use Eneloop rechargeables, so no worries.)

As I said, the Berlin Boombox was a Kickstarter, but now it’s in full production and available to anyone. Click here to visit the official site and place an order if you’d like to have your own.

Note: I’d like to thank Axel for providing a test unit of the Berlin Boombox.

Storytellers and those interested in how we wander around the web should be interested in this little transmedia storytelling project coming out of the brain of Christy Dena called Authentic in All Caps.

The idea came to Dena when she was undertaking an audio tour of an art gallery and thought about how you would facilitate an interactive audio tour of the world wide web. What would that look like and how would the technology work to help you find and explore that story? The result is Authentic in All Caps. And, while Dena is a bit of a global citizen, she is back home in Australia and has pulled together a local team to make it happen. As is the case with all bootstrapped projects, they need a little bit of cash to get the final pieces sorted and project launched.

Backing this project means you are effectively funding a mash up of old school radio plays with mobile and tablet technology. It sounds like a sweet idea and one worth investing in, you can get in on the ground floor for as little as $7.00. As Dena says:

“Audio is a powerful element in any creative project, and we’re drawing on it to explore characters, setting, navigation, and emotion on the web in a new way. You don’t just listen in AUTHENTIC; you look, and do. It’s not a videogame, radio drama, or audio tour; but we’re drawing on the techniques used in all of these to create a new story experience where audio and fictional websites are combined.”

Perhaps it’s all that residual romance left over from Valentine’s Day, or maybe it’s the promise of spring in the air. Whatever the reason, Cartoon Network has decided that February is the month to celebrate the continued exploits of the unlucky-in-love Fionna and her feline-in-waiting Cake, Adventure Time‘s own in-house fan-fic duo.

It all kicked off over the weekend with the release of a brand new iOS game. Just as Fionna is a gender-swapped analog to Finn the Human, so does the new mobile release Fionna Fights mirror the previous high-flying Adventure Time title Jumping Finn. Leap from the back of Marshall Lee the Vampire King and cut monsters down with crazy mid-air combos, dash attacks and other unlockable methods of destruction. Continue Reading “Sweet Babies, It’s Fionna and Cake!” »

Wheels on the Bus, one of the first apps I reviewed for GeekDad back in 2009, has just turned 4 years old. The app remains a great example of digital play for young children on touchscreen devices. Of course, we have come a long way in that short time, but the use of color, the limited touch points, the quality of the music and the sense of narrative all point to why Duck Duck Moose has grown in the way that it has.

My kids have been avid players of the Cooking Mama series of video-games, not to mention the various spin-off franchises — Baby Sitting Mama anyone? This is no bad thing as the games are not only well produced but introduce general cooking theory. However, they haven’t really made the connection between the game and real-world cooking until now.

This weekend we tried out Sara’s Cooking Class for iPad/iPhone, also on Android. The game is a lot like the DS cooking games they’ve played only here you also get a real recipe so you can go and make your creations in the kitchen after finishing them on the screen.

The app provides step by step instructions and hints for each recipe. In the game you use gestures to chop, mix, boil, fry, prep, bake, and decorate your culinary creations. At the end you are rated out of 3-stars on the results.

As you can see in the FGTV episode here, we came across the app after hearing that the Sara character was touring local schools to put on cooking lessons and teach nutrition. It’s still early days, but the whole family has been very impressed so far. With 17 recipes and 183 different ingredients to use I suspect that completing Sara’s Cooking Class will take some time.

Inkd wants to create a digital version of the comics section of a newspaper

There are thousands of great webcomics thriving on the Internet, but for fans like Benedict Jones who follow a lot of them, keeping track of new content and discovering new serials is difficult. “There are really no good tools for organizing them,” says Jones. “You either add them to an RSS feed, through which no content is directly pushed, or just keep a massive list of bookmarked websites.”

This realization prompted Jones and fellow Indiana designer Justin Salsburey to start filling the gap. The pair’s Kickstarter campaign — Inkd — is aimed at improving the tools for both publishing and consuming webcomics. With Inkd, Jones and Salsburey hope to provide a digital version of the newspaper comics experience, when you could pick up a section of the paper to find Calvin & Hobbes, FoxTrot and The Far Side all in one place.